An Integrative Approach to Children's Wellness: Occupational Therapy

Occupational Therapy now offers two ways to treat attention problems without the use of medication! 

Integrated Listening Systems (iLs) and Interactive Metronome (IM) are two new services being offered by Occupational Therapy at Healing Circles.  iLs and IM are two brain-based activity programs being offered in a combined office-home format that treat problems of attention and a range of challenges that kids might be facing.  Parents have reported fewer emotional meltdowns, improved sleep, decreased battles over homework, improved motor coordination and strength, increased independence in play, and improved attention and focus. Both programs involve use of a headset/earphones and doing individualized activities while listening to specific sound(s).  iLs uses full-spectrum sound and IM uses the sound of a metronome.  Use of therapeutic quality sound while doing a specifically designed therapeutic activity, facilitates the brain and body working effectively together.  Neurons that fire together wire together and the sound along with the other sensory inputs of movement, touch, and vision stimulates neurological messages that get organized through various parts of the brain, as the child is doing the activity.  In this way, the brain and body learn as they go, how to function more effectively. 

Integrated Listening Sysytems

"ADHD is typically defined as a problem with inattentiveness, lack of concentration, hyper-activity, impulsivity or a combination thereof.  Most current strategies for addressing these symptoms are behavioral or pharmaceutical.  The behavioral approach is a good start but it relies on the cognitive processes of the cortex, our “thinking brain,” which are often ineffective when it comes to self-regulation and impulse control.  Pharmaceuticals can be very helpful, but the negative side effects can create a whole host of new problems"(www.integratedlistening.com).


"There exists a growing body of literature describing the neural timing deficits in ADHD, Dyslexia, Autism, Reading Disorders, Auditory Processing Disorder, Parkinson’s, and other conditions.  Traumatic Brain Injury or Stroke may also disrupt timing in the brain. By addressing timing in the brain with Interactive Metronome (IM) alongside functional therapy interventions you are not only addressing areas of ability that impact achievement and independence but also the heart of the problem, that of deficient neural timing within and between regions of the brain that are underlying many of the problems you are working on in therapy.  This leads to more efficient treatment and better overall treatment outcomes” (www.interactivemetronome.com). 

Interactive Metronome

The therapeutic potential of these tools is exciting in that, 1) they are proven to work with children of all ages, 2) they have the potential to engage clients who may not be responding to more traditional “verbal” methods of therapy, 3) they can be used at home which means increased frequency of service and thus greater potential for improvements/progress,  4) they build skills which could complement other methods of therapy and limit or prevent the need for medication, 4) they require family involvement and commitment, which means the opportunity for relationship-building in families, 5) they target a broad range of skills and challenges that children may be having including daily activities like homework, sleeping, and playing with other children as well as personal things like  motor skills, attention/concentration, following directions, managing transitions, and organization.  iLs and IM are proven effective methods of helping children grow and develop.  Ask our OT for more information or call with questions! 

Kelly Beins, Occupational Therapist

(301) 712-9015, Ext 1028
kbeins@otc-frederick.com
www.otc-frederick.com